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Erin Bradford (freeaainnc)'s Page

Who I Am and Where My Websites Are:

Hi All! A bit of information about me. I've been researching my family tree since I was 11 or 12 years old. It wasn't until 5 years later when I started online on the AOL Golden Gates Forum in 1994 (as Erinf5119) before I was really able to do anything with the information I had.

I have my BA in history from NC State University here in Raleigh and also my MA in archival management. In 2008 I received my MLS (Masters of Library Science) and currently work as a librarian even though archives is where my heart is at. I've given many talks about preservation of genealogy documents and photos and have started up a group on the topic here.

I also am currently doing research on free African Americans in antebellum NC (hence the screen name freeaainnc, hehe) and at the moment focused on the Pettiford surname. On my website below, I have transcribed some documents I've come across and will continue to do so (I have copies of about 500 documents, primarily relating to the Bass, Chavis, Mayo, Pettiford, and Spelman families).

http://www.freeaainnc.com - Page for my research on free African Americans in antebellum NC. I use this page to post transcriptions of documents I've found during my research.

http://freeeaainnc.blogspot.com - This is my blog, which I use in conjunction with the site above; the purpose of this blog is to put the documents I find about free African Americans in antebellum NC in context of what was going on in NC at the time.

Erin Bradford (freeaainnc)'s Photos

Erin Bradford (freeaainnc)'s Blog

The State Library of NC is undergoing a project to transcribe and digitize family Bibles in NC and needs our help. If you are interested in helping, please see the following blog post for more information:

Hello Erin! Wrote you quite some time ago on another site in ref. to my g-grandfather, Ben Bradford who married Pamly Jones in 1880 in Warren County, N.C. Pamly was the daughter of Ephraim and Dilcey Jones. Ben shows up in Nansemond County, Va. in 1910 with daughter Katie (my grandmother). Would appreciate any help you can provide. Reach me kom222@yahoo.com. Thanks, K. O. Mitchell-Orlando, Fla. AAHGS

Got your posts. I'm interested in Sally Bass that married Charles Dunson/Dunston in 1814, in Wake County. Am I correct that she was the Sally daughter of Thomas Bass and Tomasen Bunch? Do you know anything about their children? I have potential candidates including my 3rd great grandfather, Calvin. Any info?

Can't do the chat because as I posted on my page, I'm doing blogtalk radio that night at precisely the same time on my book research on Miles Lassiter. Book is now offered on Quakerbooks.org. Some other time I guess. My email is MargoLW@gmail.com. Thanks

Wow, gee Erin. So I guess that means you don't look at your messages often. Yes, Erin I was trying to reach you because I had a book published about a family that has roots in both the free and slave community, in fact it is about the only free African American to be officially an admitted-to-meeting Quaker in NC prior to the Civil War when he died in 1850: Miles Lassiter (circa 1777-1850) an Early African American Quaker from Lassiter Mill, Randolph County, North Carolina: My Research Journey to Home. I was coming down for a book signing, wanted to stop by and see you -- obviously that didn't happen. Also wanted to talk about another part of the family, the Dunsons/Dunstons/Dunstans of Wake and Franklin County. They are in Heinegg's book (always have been) so they should be on your list as well, as Renate Sanders pointed out. Anyway. was hoping to converse one way or another on these things. Hope we still can. . . I did send you a friend request as well several months back.

Erin, my name is Stan Arney, and Jim Avery suggested I write you about something you might be able to help me with.

My ancestor, Jacob Arney's original Will, resides at the NCSA, in Raleigh, NC, where you work.

The ink in the upper 1/3 to 1/2 has faded over time.

I have requested and received a copy, from the NCSA, of his Will, but it's too difficult to make out the faded ink.

I would like to get a "best copy possible", so that perhaps someway I can try scanning it, etc. to see if I can bring out the faded ink, to see what it may be able to reveal about him. He is my family, ARNEY, brick wall, and I need to see if I can glean any information, from his Will, please help.